Stranger Things

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  • Stranger Things

    Stranger Things came out on Netflix last week -- just started it a few days ago and I'm totally hooked. Is anyone else watching it? It was advertised as a "highly Spielbergian sci fi set in the 80s." You can literally call out the Jaws, ET and Poltergeist references. There was at least one Jurassic Park/dead goat reference. It also has a strong Stand By Me/Goonies vibe.

  • #2
    Re: Stranger Things

    How about all the Stephen King references? Great show.

    "I was dreamin' when I wrote this, forgive me if it goes astray." - Prince

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    • #3
      Re: Stranger Things

      Watched 4 episodes and couldn't go on. I'm a big Sci-fi fan and I found it really unoriginal; everything has been done before and full of cliches.

      From the first episode, I already felt a strong E.T./Super 8 vibe to it. Then it started to meander to Alien/Silent Hill/Poltergeist territory, and so forth. Every minute it was like playing 'Spot the homage' game.

      But I guess it will appeal greatly to casual Sci-fi fans. Its production and cast are top notch.

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      • #4
        Re: Stranger Things

        Originally posted by Goliath View Post
        Watched 4 episodes and couldn't go on. I'm a big Sci-fi fan and I found it really unoriginal; everything has been done before and full of cliches.

        From the first episode, I already felt a strong E.T./Super 8 vibe to it. Then it started to meander to Alien/Silent Hill/Poltergeist territory, and so forth. Every minute it was like playing 'Spot the homage' game.

        But I guess it will appeal greatly to casual Sci-fi fans. Its production and cast are top notch.
        Pretty sure they were doing that entirely on purpose.

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        • #5
          Re: Stranger Things

          There was a great 80s-90s band called Pop Will Eat Itself. They weren't wrong.
          Last edited by Crayon; 08-01-2016, 08:52 AM. Reason: typo
          Know this: I'm a lazy amateur, so trust not a word what I write.
          "The ugly can be beautiful. The pretty, never." ~ Oscar Wilde

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          • #6
            Re: Stranger Things

            Loved it, best show I've seen in awhile. I for one love the references, and I think it just goes to show there are no original ideas, but you can combine them in new and interesting ways to tell a really compelling story.

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            • #7
              Re: Stranger Things

              Every review I've read about this show goes on and on about the homages, but it seems like no one is talking about the actual story, and I'm wondering if that's because there's nothing really there?

              It's no big secret that America has hit a wall, culturally speaking, where the dominant trend is towards Karaoke, reboots, fan fiction and a Broadway full of jukebox musicals.

              Nostalgia is nice, but there's something awfully depressing about all this.

              Hurry up, someone go pitch a suspense thriller series set in the 60's with lots of nods to Hitchcock!

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              • #8
                Re: Stranger Things

                Loved it. So did my kids. The surprise hit of the summer.
                http://www.pjmcilvaine.com/

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                • #9
                  Re: Stranger Things

                  This show was pretty amazing. Loved it.

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                  • #10
                    Re: Stranger Things

                    Excellent show.

                    But now suddenly I'm reading lots of scripts from clients set in 1983...
                    NOTES / COVERAGE
                    15,000+ Screenplays
                    [email protected]

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                    • #11
                      Re: Stranger Things

                      Loved the series and adored the aesthetic. But yeah, I expect a lot of 80s homage ideas to start spilling out now.

                      Is the upcoming IT movie set in the 80s? Or have they modernised it?

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                      • #12
                        Re: Stranger Things

                        Originally posted by EvilRbt View Post
                        Excellent show.

                        But now suddenly I'm reading lots of scripts from clients set in 1983...
                        remember you read mine first!
                        I heard the starting gun


                        sigpic

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                        • #13
                          Re: Stranger Things

                          Originally posted by EvilRbt View Post
                          Excellent show.

                          But now suddenly I'm reading lots of scripts from clients set in 1983...
                          As expected! But I loved it. There wasn't anything better to come out this summer.

                          Unless there's live video hidden somewhere of Ryan Lochte's fight with a gas station bathroom door.

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                          • #14
                            Re: Stranger Things

                            And according to the guys who created the show, it was passed on by 15-20 different places before Netflix bought it.

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                            • #15
                              Re: Stranger Things

                              Here's the link to the article about that... http://www.looper.com/21367/untold-t...edium=referral

                              A couple of things I think are good for any writer to keep in mind as they fight for their projects to find a home. This is not from empirical knowledge, but rather what I chose to believe.

                              -- it all starts with ONE person who loves your project and is willing to stand behind it, because they believe in the project and have the self-confidence to stand behind their decision when others buckle.

                              -- just because you've completed your spec doesn't mean this is the ideal time for it. There may be a time when, for whatever reason, it will be better received.

                              -- you can't be the person that gives up on your project. You have to be its first champion, no matter how many times you've heard the word, "no." If you give up, no one will ever get to experience your beautiful imagination.

                              -- miracles do happen and they're not by the hand of God but by something happening at just the right time, with just the right person, and just the right project.

                              -- not every studio/network/prodco is willing to LEAD all the time, because being the market leader involves greater risk. But sure as ****, when one takes a step no one else is willing to take, others follow and, at least for a time, search for their new diamond in the rough.

                              -- we must accept that when risky projects fail, that it can have an impact on how our projects are received. Studios/networks/prodcos have their jobs on the line and sometimes it's safer to retreat to what is known, familiar, and exactly what we've seen before.

                              -- no one who gets a film to market is trying to make a bad movie. I respect every film made. Personally, I hate to see other writers bashing movies, because I keep thinking, "okay, you do better." I got nailed pretty hard on this site a few years back with that comment and I think it was completely misunderstood.

                              We're writers, and the "okay, you do better," comment was meant to suggest that as writers perhaps we could be more analytical. Identifying story problems. Offering solutions that could have made it a better experience. Sure sometimes you can't figure out why it hits you wrong, but to disparage the hard work of so many people just feels wrong to me.

                              We're writers and we should be able work through story problems and talking about them on this site, I had hoped, could help writers (including me at the time) develop the mindset of identifying/resolving story problems in our own work.

                              But many took my comments as if I was condescending to them, or telling them they couldn't have an opinion. Far from my intention. Hopefully, I haven't offended anyone again.

                              So there's my pep talk for today-- feeling very positive, not sure why (no drugs were involved).

                              And yes, I was a cheerleader in high school, so shoot me.
                              "Arguing that you don't care about the right to privacy b/c you have nothing to hide is no different than saying you don't care about free speech because you have nothing to say." -- Edward Snowden

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